So when I make Kate, I use 25.15 lb of grain, and mash 1:1 ratio thus 25.15 (approximately) quarts of water. I dough in and stir like crazy. Half way through the mash I stir again, only going to the point of half crazy. I lauter/vorleuf, then batch sparge with 15 quarts of 180 degree water and stir like crazy again. I wait 10 minutes and then lauter/vorleuf again. This has landed me about a gallon extra first runnings that I put into a spare growler and set it aside. I boil, chill and transfer the first beer. Meantime, I had been heating my second sparge of 4 gallons. I rinse the BK, add the gallon of first runnings then lsparge, lauter/vorleuf again. This has led to 4.5 gallons of 1.100 Kate, and 4.5 gallons 1.055 belgian stout. Then the next time I brewed it I got 4.5 gallons of 1.104 Kate and 4.5 gallons of 1.042 Schwarzbier. I hope that helps.

So when I make Kate, I use 25.15 lb of grain, and mash 1:1 ratio thus 25.15 (approximately) quarts of water. I dough in and stir like crazy. Half way through the mash I stir again, only going to the point of half crazy. I lauter/vorleuf, then batch sparge with 15 quarts of 180 degree water and stir like crazy again. I wait 10 minutes and then lauter/vorleuf again. This has landed me about a gallon extra first runnings that I put into a spare growler and set it aside. I boil, chill and transfer the first beer. Meantime, I had been heating my second sparge of 4 gallons. I rinse the BK, add the gallon of first runnings then lsparge, lauter/vorleuf again. This has led to 4.5 gallons of 1.100 Kate, and 4.5 gallons 1.055 belgian stout. Then the next time I brewed it I got 4.5 gallons of 1.104 Kate and 4.5 gallons of 1.042 Schwarzbier. I hope that helps.

That's a really good idea, because when I've Parti'ed in the past the second beer has always tasted extremely boring. The gravity is there, but all the tasty flavors have washed away with the first runnings. I like it.

Brewed today - boy - what a day. Issue with extremely slow sparge . Never had stuck but would assume close. Ran out of propane with primary and backup. Almost five gallons OG 1.104 exactly...lets hope the rest is smother!!!

Brewed today - boy - what a day. Issue with extremely slow sparge . Never had stuck but would assume close. Ran out of propane with primary and backup. Almost five gallons OG 1.104 exactly...lets hope the rest is smother!!!

Bummer! I brewed a Barleywine yesterday and had similar times, my mash got stuck pretty bad. I heated my sparge water hotter than the blazes of hell and soared heavy and luckily the sparge didn't stick. I think my SS braid is shot. 6 hour brew day, and not a fun one. The wife was ticked, I got nothing else done

Bummer! I brewed a Barleywine yesterday and had similar times, my mash got stuck pretty bad. I heated my sparge water hotter than the blazes of hell and soared heavy and luckily the sparge didn't stick. I think my SS braid is shot. 6 hour brew day, and not a fun one. The wife was ticked, I got nothing else done

My wife was mad too. I'm really curious as to what caused the issue with sparging - never happened before

Brewed today - boy - what a day. Issue with extremely slow sparge . Never had stuck but would assume close. Ran out of propane with primary and backup. Almost five gallons OG 1.104 exactly...lets hope the rest is smother!!!

Uh oh, at least for the short term it sounds like you might have regretted it, sorry. Hopefully she loves the beer and forgets about the nightmare brew day!